The renowned biographer's unforgettable portrait of a family in ruins–his own. – Meet the Baileys: Burck, a prosperous lawyer once voted the American Legion's ''Citizen of the Year'' in his tiny hometown of Vinita, Oklahoma; his wife Marlies, who longs to recapture her festive life in Greenwich Village as a fetching young German immigrant, fresh off the boat; their addled son Scott, who repeatedly crashes the family Porsche; and Blake, the younger son, trying to find a way through the storm.

Ashley's and Brayden's families both heavily dislike their long-term boyfriends. Ashley deals with a family who ignores her boyfriend, while Brayden deals with a mother who sees her boyfriend as a loser.